A Joe Pike Novel The One
by wildlypoetic
Summary: I'm a Robert Crais fan and writer. After The Watchman I got a Joe Pike story stuck in my head and had to write it out. I know it's Joe's story but I HAD to write Elvis in first person. It seemed to work better. I guess I love their unique relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Pike ran late this morning, pushing himself hard like a man who had something to prove. It was a cold spring dawn when he reached the pier. He pulled up short when he noticed movement on the normally empty pier. He moved in slowly from the far side, watching as the agitated woman paced back and forth. She stopped to shake the railing, testing its strength. He froze when she turned suddenly in his direction peering into dark and fog that shrouded him. She turned back just as quickly and stared into the blackness of the water. Pike moved in silently like the coyotes that roamed the city unseen and unnoticed; wondering at her intentions. He opened his mouth to speak but the woman spun around pepper spray in hand. Pike grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back trying hard not to hurt her. He could on occasion be surprised but rarely caught off guard. Most people never heard him coming. The fact she knew he was there bothered him. After being shot twice and nearly killed last year Pike wasn't sure if he was one hundred percent or if he ever would be again.

"The wind would have blown it back in your face," he said hoping she realized he meant her no harm. When she looked up at him he saw no fear in her eyes; only a fierce determination that seemed perplexing.

She let out a sigh and stopped struggling. "Look," she said nodding over his shoulder. He slowly moved her around in front of him keeping control of her. Sometimes those who seem harmless do the most harm. She stepped back into him making him bring her arms forward. His mouth twitched. She just had manipulated his movements. Now he was standing on the pier holding a woman he didn't know and for whatever reason he didn't mind. The sun was rising; a bright orange and red fireball. The sky around it glowed and reflected in the stillness of the water. Their breath mingled in the cold morning air until it was blown away by the ocean breeze. She tried to pull from his arms and move away but Pike turned her around to face him. He took his glasses off, looked into her eyes and saw the pain there.

"Do you want to die?" He asked.

The woman gave a small pained smile and touched his cheek. "Not today," she said. She turned and walked down the pier. Pike wasn't afraid of death but he didn't seek it out either. What pain could make her want to end her own life? He stood and pondered her words for a minute and then hurried down the pier after her but she was already gone. He scanned the area and listened but there had been no car or bike to carry her away so quickly. He shrugged and headed back to the house before the commuters invaded the roadway like thousands of busy ants.

Pike stripped off his clothes and let the warm water beat down soothing his aching muscles. He stepped out of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror wondering if she had seen his pain as clearly as he had seen hers.

Pike went out again late the next day and found her at the pier. She smiled when she saw him and they stood side by side watching the sunrise until she once again disappeared. He liked the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled and they way the sunlight brought out the auburn highlights in her hair. They met three more times that week watching the sunrise never even bothering to exchange names. Somehow it didn't seem important. The fifth day she didn't protest when he wrapped her in his arms as she shivered in the cold morning breeze. Each stood eyes closed not noticing or caring the sunrise was veiled in thick angry clouds. On the sixth and seventh day he found the pier empty. He showered and went to Cole's wondering if she'd be a blurb in the paper; another sad, lonely person who left this planet too soon.


	2. Chapter 2

I was pouring myself a glass of juice, deep in thought when I turned around to find Pike staring at me. I jumped and spilled the juice.

"Jesus, Joe, I don't know how you do that."

Pike shrugged, grabbed the paper towels and cleaned up the mess while I poured him a glass. You'd think after all this time I'd be used to him creeping up on me. I grabbed the glasses and followed him out to the deck where the cat was patiently waiting. The cat always seemed to know when Joe was here. Two lost souls who moved in and out of my life. Joe picked him up and mindlessly stroked his fur. The cat hated everyone but me and Joe and I think he only tolerated me most of the time. No one else would dare pick him up but Pike did a lot of things no one else would do. He stared into the canyon as he paced back and forth holding the cat. Early morning sun bouncing of the sunglasses'

"What's up?" I asked since he was less talkative then usual. He shrugged and put the cat down. He drank the juice and took his empty glass back into the kitchen. Something definitely didn't seem right in Pike's world. He flipped through the paper on my kitchen table. He touched the page and said "Gotta go."

"Good to see you, too." I yelled at the empty room. I looked at the paper and found a picture with the caption 'Alyse Winters arrested in the disappearance of her husband.' I stared at the front door and wondered what this had to do with Joe. She was pretty and it looked but was she Pikes type. I don't think he'd limit himself to types of women

I knew I was going to regret it but I had to do it. Pike would never ask me for help and if ever I saw a man in love and in need of help it was my friend Joe Pike. I picked up the phone and called Starkey. She was a former bomb squad cop who was blown up on the job and she chases me in her spare time. Still not sure if I'm going to let her catch me.

"Whatever it is. The answer is no," Her voice wasn't exactly sexy…a little too much tequila and ten thousand cigarettes had seen to that. There really wasn't much sexy about Starkey except the fact that she wanted me…bad.

"Ok I guess I can look through my little black book and find someone else to have a fabulous gourmet dinner with." I said in my sexiest voice. I smiled at the dead silence on the other end of the phone. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head as she wondered whether or not to take me seriously.

"And where would this fabulous dinner be had?"

"Chez Cole's. It's a quaint little place with an incredible view. I know the chef personally so we'll get the best table."

"Right. Cole you crack me up. You must need one hell of a favor for you to do this. What did you do? Shoot the President?"

"Moi?"

"Yes you, you fool. Just tell me what you need I've got thing to do."

"Ok I need some info on this Alyse Winters case."

She half laughed and snorted. "You may have well shot the Prez because the feds are all over that one."

"Really?" I said feigning ignorance.

"Don't play stupid with me. You aren't very good at it. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Starkey."

"Oh. Cole about that dinner I'm busy that night."

I started to say something clever but all I got was dial tone. I hung up the phone feeling annoyed and somewhat inadequate by her lack of enthusiasm or maybe I was a little turned on by her disinterest. Things are never very clear when it comes to my feelings for Starkey. All I knew was Joe needed me and I couldn't let him down.


	3. Chapter 3

Joe got into his Jeep and headed to the Parker Center. The shy, mysterious woman he'd met didn't seem capable of cold blooded murder but then people have a way of doing the unexpected. He didn't know her name until today and it wasn't because he didn't care. It just didn't seem important. He drove to her hoping to get to get answers to questions he didn't have.

Panic and fear swirled at the edges of reality as he walked through Parker Center. It wasn't for himself but for a woman he didn't really know. The former cop was charged with murder last year and had experienced life from the other side of the iron bars until he escaped. Of all the people he'd killed it seemed ironic to be charged with a murder he didn't commit. One would say it was karma but Pike knew it was simply the evil that hid in the heart of men. Sometimes it was a dark, cruel place where only revenge lived.

Alyse sat behind the table wearing an ill fitting jail house jump suit being comforted by a public defender who didn't look old enough to drink. Alyse turned away when he entered the room. Joe sat down in the chair next to her and placed his hand under her chin turning her to face him. She didn't protest or pull away from his touch. The right side of her face was swollen. She'd obviously been choked, finger marks had blossomed like ugly purple flowers on pale, delicate skin. How could a man do that to a woman he loved or a father to his child? Rage roared like waves crashing on the beach drowning out all thought or reason. He was too angry to ask the questions that needed answers. Joe emptied his mind and became clam like a tidal pool, isolated away from the chaos of anger. He took off his glasses and looked into her eyes.

Alyse stared into the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Blue like a pure glacial lake, inviting her to get lost in its depths. She forgot briefly about the pain and chaos and enjoyed the calm she felt in his presence.

"Did you do this?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"No," she said, her eyes never leaving his.

"How much is bail?" He asked the lawyer never taking his eyes off her.

"One million cash or bond. But the government has frozen all their assets."

"There's no way I can raise that. Since I filed for divorce I've had to sell everything I own. I don't even have a place to stay," she said. Her head dropped back down and he saw the tears slide down her cheek.

"I'll take care of it." Later that day she was in his Jeep and they were on the way to his condo.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"Tom called me two days ago and said he had papers I needed to sign. He's been dragging our divorce out for months. He told me to meet him at the house and when I got there he was drunk and angry. He said his life was going to hell and he was going to take me with him." She stopped and stared out the window. Pike could see how ashamed she was of what happened. He had seen that look on his mother's face many times before. He reached over and took her hand. She licked her lips and continued.

"I tried to get out but he grabbed me and hit me a couple times. I don't remember anything after that." She stopped again and brushed away a tear. "I woke up and called the police. There was blood in the living room and in my car. I don't know how it got there, any of it. I swear I never laid a hand on him."

Pike thought for a moment she hardly seemed capable of disposing of a body all by herself. If she had killed him she could have claimed self defense and from the looks of the beating she took, she had a strong case. Why had the feds frozen their assets?

"Why are the feds involved?"

"I don't know. I wasn't part of his business. I had a substantial inheritance when my father died several years ago. Tom said he could get me a better return than any bank so I gave it to him. I had plans to set up a charity with about half of the proceeds. When I had everything in place and asked for the money I got excuse after excuse until I stopped asking. Tom had been on edge the last year, angry. So I left. Our accounts were cleaned out. Luckily I had some jewelry in a safety deposit box, that's kept me going."

Joe got the feeling there was more to the story than she was telling him but he didn't push her. There'd be time for the hard questions later. She'd been through enough

"Where are we?" She asked as they pulled up to the condo.

"My place." Joe turned and stuck out his hand. "Joe Pike," he said. Her hand was soft and warm and he got the same feeling he did every time he touched her.

"Thank you, Joe Pike. I'm Alyse Winters."

Joe led her inside. He felt uneasy knowing the kind of money she had come from but he'd never cared about money or creature comforts.

Alyse smiled as she looked around his condo. His home was Spartan, earthy and masculine like him.

"It suits you," she said smiling.

"This will be like heaven. I've spent the last two weeks sleeping in my car trying to out run the repo man." She turned to face him. "I'm sorry I guess I've reached a point where if I don't laugh about it I'll cry and I really don't want to do that."

Joe led her into the bedroom. "You can sleep here. There's a lock on the door. I'll give you the key."

Alyse reached out her hand and touched his arm. Staring into the glasses that hid the pain he wanted no one to see. "If you were going to hurt me you could have done that on the pier. Besides I don't think that door would stop you."

Joe's mouth twitched. He put his hand on hers and squeezed gently. "No. it wouldn't."

"I'll take the couch. I can't take your only bed." Alyse insisted.

"I've slept on worse. If they've released your house as a crime scene we can pick up some things for you."

"He was very angry. I imagine whatever of mine was left, he threw out. "

Joe looked at her, she was wearing baggy sweat pants and a T-shirt that had LAPD written on it. He'd worn a shirt like that a lifetime ago.

Alyse noticed him staring and shrugged. "There was blood on my clothes so they took them as evidence. My car too."

"You look fine," he said in a reassuring tone. Joe wondered if the blood had been his or hers and felt the anger stirring once again.

"Yeah right," Alyse rolled her eyes.

"Help yourself to anything you need. There are clean towels in the bathroom. I've got some errands to run. I'll bring home dinner. This is my cell phone number. Will you be all right alone for a while? "

Alyse nodded and smiled.

He wrote his number on a note pad next to the phone. "I'll set the alarm so don't go out and don't open the door to anyone. If you need anything you call me."

Joe got in his Jeep and headed for Cole's. He left his condo perplexed by the events of the last week. Even though he was a man who could think on his feet he still found comfort in strategy and order. Today he had posted a million dollar bond for a stranger and brought her into his home. How could explain his actions to Cole when he didn't understand it himself. There were too many unanswered questions taking away the clarity of thought he found so comforting. He walked up to Cole's front door and punched his number on speed dial.

"Yo," Cole answered.

"You going to be home for awhile?" He asked as he knocked on the door.

"Yeah, hang on someone's at the door."


	4. Chapter 4

I opened the door and found Joe on the other side. He pushed past me.

"I didn't want to scare you again," he said. That was Pike's attempt at humor.

"Very funny." I shot back.

"I need your help."

"Alyse Winters?" I said.

Pike turned to me looking as shocked as Pike ever did.

"World's Greatest remember? It's going to cost me diner with Starkey. I think she's playing hard to get now. I'm not quite sure, but you owe me big time. The file's on kitchen table. What there is of it. My main concern is them finding her covered in her husbands blood." I said that last part a little louder to get the point across that he may be cohabitating with a killer. I wasn't worried about the regular Pike but love tends to make a man softer, gentler someone who would let his guard down and get killed for it.

Pike just shook his head and probably rolled his eyes at me but I could never tell because of the glasses.

"What's going on with you and this Alyse anyway. I've never heard you mention her." I was curious since my love life was non existent lately. Not for the lack of trying on Starkey's part.

"Nothing. I met her on the pier last week while I was jogging. I thought she was going to jump off the pier. She tried to mace me, that's about it."

I wanted details to spice up my dull life and got the abridged version of the story instead. A typical day in the life of Joe Pike I thought. If I was alone on a pier with him not knowing the type of man he was I'd probably try to mace him too. "So, it was love at first sight then?" I asked jokingly but Pike didn't answer. He neither confirmed or denied, so I decided not to push the subject. I wasn't sure the world was ready for a Joe Pike in love, pretty sure I wasn't.

"So where is she and when do I get to meet her?"

"My place and never," he replied.

"Your place, alone." WOW. This must be serious. Very unlike Pike. I hoped he was kidding about not meeting her part. If he was playing the white knight why didn't he just put her up in a motel or one of the many houses he had access to? The more I learned the less sense this situation was making. There had to be more to the story or was Joe Pike really in love?

"The government is involved. They've frozen all their assets. She's been sleeping in the car." This was more like Pike, always the sucker for the under dog. "Is it a limo because Winter's is loaded. She came from money too."

Pike opened his mouth to say something but didn't. He grabbed the folder and headed to the door instead.

"Joe, I was just kidding. Grab a beer and we'll talk."

"I don't want to leave her alone for too long. How could she have moved his body all by herself?"

I wanted to say maybe she wasn't alone but there was something in his voice that told me to keep my big mouth shut instead. Pike had fought enough battles to know not to take things at face value. If we don't let people get close they can't stab us in the back but then they can't hold us in their arms either. Sometimes we all need to be close, to feel that human contact no matter how hard we try to deny it. There were times I forgot Pike was human just like the rest of us.

"Thanks, Elvis I owe you." He said as he closed the door.

Its always a good thing to have a man like Joe Pike owe you. You never know when you'll need him. When we were done saving Alyse. I had to come up with a plan to save myself from Starkey.

Pike returned home with dinner. He forgot to ask her what she liked to eat so he overcompensated and bought too much. The condo was dimly lit with the only sound coming from his fountain bubbling in the corner. Alyse was curled up on his couch wearing only one of his t-shirts.

Joe put the bags of Thai food on the counter and walked over to her. He knelt down beside her, took off his glasses wondering how to wake her without frightening her. She smelled like his soap and shampoo and looked so peaceful sleeping on his couch. There were so many things right about this woman even though the situation was wrong. The bruises on her face looked painful yet she never complained, a sign of someone who was no stranger to pain. Pike reached out and touched her hair. "Alyse," he whispered. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw him.

"I brought dinner," he said.

"I'm sorry. I was listening to the fountain and I must have fallen asleep." She was glad to see he'd taken off the glasses. She loved looking into those amazing eyes even though she saw such sadness there.

"You've been though a lot. You need the rest."

"Is that another way to tell me I look tired? I hope you don't mind. I borrowed a shirt. Those clothes were giving me the creeps."

"No. You look fine." He opened the cartons and took two plates from the cupboards. If he had been alone he would have simply eaten out of the cartons. He grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge and reached for a glass.

"The bottles fine for me," she said. Joe took the cap off and handed it to her.

Joe piled his usual vegetarian dish on his plate. Alyse looked at the food the mixture of tofu and vegetables, suspiciously.

"Try it," he said putting some of it on her fork, feeding it to her.

She wrinkled her nose and said. "I'm not a fan of spicy food but I'll try anything once." Alyse closed her eyes and opened her mouth. She took the food off his fork swallowing before he could tell her it was spicy.

"Wow." She gave a little frown and grabbed her beer.

"Sorry about that." Joe shrugged and took his plate and her file to the couch.

Alyse poked around the other cartons sniffing each one like the cat when he brought him a treat. She sampled the contents of a few cartons and settled on noodles and fish. Joe stared at her thinking how beautiful she was in the soft light of his kitchen. Somehow she had managed to pick out his favorite shirt. It was worn, soft and the fabric got thinner with each wash. He didn't understand his attachment to it. Joe turned his attention back to his food when she joined him on the couch.

"If you don't think there's anything of yours left at the house we can go shopping."

Alyse burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. The thought of you hanging around while I try on clothes just seems wrong. So, not you."

"Yeah, that's probably not going to happen." He had to admit she was right. He felt comfortable in a steaming jungle or scorching desert with bullets flying but the thought of hanging around a mall carrying shopping bags seemed like the worse scenario. Maybe he could talk Elvis into taking her.

Joe finally had to ask the question as he picked at the food on his plate. "How did you know I was on the pier?"

She shrugged and smiled. "I know it sounds crazy but I could feel you. For whatever reason I wasn't afraid."

Pike grunted that was an answer he could live with. There was an undeniable attraction between them. "You won't hurt yourself."

The tone of his voice made it more of a command than a question and she liked the idea of him caring. "No. I'm not a quitter."

"I know."

They finished their meal in comfortable silence. Two people who didn't need words.


	5. Chapter 5

Joe rinsed the dishes, put the food away and took two more beers from the fridge. They paged through the police reports and it didn't look good. She had motive, was found at the scene and had no alibi. Not to mention being covered in her husbands blood. There were as many loop holes as there was evidence. Plenty of people had gone to prison when there was no body to back up the evidence.

"If I'd killed him why did I call the police. Where is his…his body," she said her voice shaking.

"I know. There must be something more." He looked at her.

"I swear Joe. There is nothing more I can tell you. I woke up and he was gone and there was blood everywhere. We may have had our problems lately but he was a good man once or at least I thought he was."

"It'll be all right," He said, trying to offer comfort.

"It doesn't matter." She closed the file and finished her beer.

Joe felt her mood grow dark and she excused herself to go to bed. He didn't feel much better after reviewing the evidence in her file. He needed to find out more about Tom Winters and what he was into. He stared at his bedroom door before taking his shower. He wished he knew what to say but he had no magic words.

Joe stripped his clothes off and stepped into the shower. He scrubbed his body with the shower gel and thought it smelled better on Alyse. He turned the water to cold hoping it would stop the thoughts of her, but it didn't. He turned the water off and toweled dry. His hearing like his sight was better than most. He found himself back outside the his bedroom door listening to her sob softly. There were few things that bothered Pike but a woman crying was one of them. He had heard it all too often as a child, his mother crying after another beating by his father. Joe stood there hands clenched until his knuckles turned white and he couldn't take it anymore. He opened the door and joined her on the bed. Joe held his arms out and she moved into his embrace.

"I'm sorry I got you involved in this," she said between sobs.

"I want to help." He brushed her long dark hair back and wiped the tears from her face. He kissed her forehead, then her cheek then he gently brushed her lips with his. She was vulnerable and he didn't want her to give herself out of a sense of obligation or gratitude. He saw the pained look in her eyes as she noticed all the scars on his body.

"It's okay," he whispered.

She nodded and kissed him. She too, knew something about pain. Some scars are physical, some psychological. They shared both. Alyse sat up and he helped her pull off the t-shirt. She ran her hands down his side until it reached the towel wrapped around his hips.

"Are you sure," he asked.

Alyse smiled and pulled the towel free giving him his answer. He did what he wanted to do from the minute he met her, take her pain away.

They listened to the rumble of thunder in the distance as Joe held her in his arms.

"Who hurt you?" She asked.

He was silent for awhile not wanting to let the pain seep into this moment of perfect peace. "My father," he finally said.

"Me too," she whispered in a voice so soft he barely heard it. "Joe, I can't go to prison. If I run you'll lose all that money, right?"

Joe nodded but didn't care about the money. He understood her fear. People didn't belong in cages, neither did animals for that matter. The time he spent in jail taught him he'd either die there or die trying to escape. Freedom was everything in this life.

"What if we can't find the truth."

"We'll go somewhere safe."

"Joe, they never stop looking for murderers and I can't ask you to give up your life for me."

"My choice," Joe said. "It's too soon to worry." Even though feared gnawed as his belly like a hungry snake. She laid her head on his chest and he stroked her hair.

Pike woke before dawn. It had been a long time since he'd slept through the night and an even longer time since he'd shared his bed with a woman. Better to face a well armed opponent in the field than a woman scorned his drill sergeant had told him. Sex often implied commitment and that wasn't something he took lightly. He had his causal relationships as the need arose. He'd broken a heart once before and hurt a woman he shouldn't have. Karen had loved him and deserved something that he wasn't able to give her. It had taken years but he had made his peace with Paulette; the woman he had loved a lifetime ago.

Pike closed his eyes and smiled. Pleasure was often followed by pain so he emptied his mind and listened to the rain hitting the window and the smile faded. Last night with Alyse had been more than casual. She appeared on the outside fragile and delicate like an exotic flower he'd seen in the jungle but there was a fierceness and strength beneath that carried her through. As much as he wanted to protect her he wanted to watch her take on the world with the fearlessness he had seen on the pier that first day. She had the spirit of a warrior.

Alyse propped herself up on one elbow. "I saw it. You were smiling."

"I can't get by with anything around you."

"Nope. All seeing and all knowing," she teased.

"You and my friend Elvis, the World's Greatest Detective."

"Oh my God, you're that Joe Pike." She plopped back down onto the pillow. She needed to absorb the fact the man she was in bed with was a killer. She hadn't made the connection earlier, maybe it was the shock of all that had happened. This was a man who had lead many lives; cop, soldier. There were rumors of things and of places the rest of the world would never understand. She knew the man she had met on the pier was not ordinary. Her instincts were always right, unfortunately she didn't always listen to them. Now here she was in bed with that man. The hands that touched her and brought her pleasure had taken lives yet she felt no fear in his arms, only peace. Alyse thought she saw him stiffen or maybe it was her imagination but when she looked into those incredible eyes in the pale light of dawn she saw doubt there. She took his hand and kissed it then placed it on her heart. This wasn't a man of words and she had learned long ago words often masked lies and deception.

Pike let out a sigh not realizing he'd been holding his breath. She knew something about him and it didn't matter. What people thought of him was irrelevant this woman was different. He wondered at times if who he was and what he'd done had cost him a future. Could he forge a future with someone without revealing the past and it's ghosts? "Well, all seeing and knowing. Do you know what I'm thinking now?"

Alyse pulled him down on top of her. "Why don't you show me."

Pike covered the sleeping Alyse and slid quietly out of bed later that morning. He wanted a run to clear his mind but the sun never broke through the heavy clouds and rain continued to fall leaving puddles on the saturated ground. Pike dropped to the living room floor silently counting off his pushups.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you know how to shoot a gun?" Joe said standing in the door way.

"No. I guess I've never had the urge to shoot anyone."

Joe smiled. "I own a gun shop. I'll teach you."

"You realize you've smiled twice now."

He walked back over to where she was, took her in his arms and kissed her. "Yeah, it's all your fault."

"I can live with that."

"Me too." he whispered.

Pike left Alyse in his Eames chair reading _The Art of War_. It was hard walking out the door but the thought of her there waiting for him when he returned brought him a sense of peace.

Pike saw the corvette and knocked.

I found Pike at my front door. "Enough with the knocking already. Just do your usual appearing out of thin air."

"She needs to go shopping for clothes."

"This is how it begins. One day you are enjoying you nice quiet life the next you are holding her purse while she tries on clothes at a mall. Just leave the gun at home when you go." Joe stared at me and I started to fidget. "No…no way man. I'll take a bullet for you but I drawn the line at shopping."

"Whatever. " Pike said on his way to the deck. I studied him for a while as he sat in the chair, his legs crossed at the ankles. There was an air of contentment surrounding him.

"Somebody got laid last night," I said.

"Made love," Pike rebutted.

"I didn't know there was a difference."

Pike said. " Maybe that's why you don't have a woman."

You think? Score one for Pike.

"So you got laid a couple times."

The corner of Pike's mouth twitched. "Lost count," he said.

That's about as in depth as it gets on the subject of Pike and sex. Pike never lost count of anything in his life. He was just rubbing salt into my wound of my forced celibacy. I gave him my big deal scowl over the top of my coffee mug.

"Jealous?"

I nodded yes even though I really wasn't. It was good to see him happy. He didn't look any different than usual. He wasn't smiling or whistling a happy tune. I just knew he was happy. Maybe that comes from knowing someone for as long as I've known Pike. But for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction and that was the Pike and that worried me.

"You sure she's innocent," I said stupidly.

The cat came over and jumped in his lap, purring and kneading his leg. He turned to look at me. "I'm sure,"

"But what if we can't prove it," I asked.

"Then we leave."

That answer caught me off guard and he knew it.

"You have employees depending on you. What about the bond? That's a million dollars."

"The agency isn't at risk, Elvis."

"I'm not thinking about that," I said scowling. 'This all seems to be happening so fast. A million dollars bail she's moved in your condo."

"Those were my choices. She didn't ask for bail or a place to stay. Those were my decisions. You're the Worlds Greatest remember and we're counting on you."

Wow. We're counting on you. Now I really am worried How did I tell him sometimes people make it look like it was our choice. I hoped for both our sakes I was wrong. "We need Chen on this one." I picked up the phone and decided I needed to put him on speed dial. John Chen was a first rate criminialist who had been schooled by me and Pike on a few occasion. He has a dogged determination to find the truth and I liked that about him.

"Hello," John said in a barely audible voice.

"Hello John It's Elvis I need a favor."

"Of course you do. I'll call you on my break. The feds are everywhere."

I looked at the phone and shrugged. "He'll call me back on his break. Sounded like the feds had invaded the lab."

Pike shook his head.

"You don't think it has anything to do with her?"

"There's something going on Elvis. A million dollar bail? I bet they never thought she'd be able to come up with that. There's no body and he beat her bad. There's something going on and the feds are involved." Pike stood up and paced.

"John's good. We'll get to the bottom of this and she'll walk away like nothing

happened." Not sure who I was trying to convince more him or me. I think we both had a

bad feeling.


	7. Chapter 7

Alyse was stretched out on the couch reading when he came home. As much as he valued his solitude he enjoyed coming home to her. A warm smile and a kiss waiting for him each time he walked through the door.

"As much as I enjoy this shirt of yours. I need some clothes. I never pegged you for the barefoot and pregnant type."

Joe's mind went blank briefly. They hadn't been using protection. He wasn't a man to make foolish mistakes would being a father be one?

"Don't worry I have not expectations. You're just a very kind man who I owe a great deal." Alyse pulled out of his embrace and turned to leave but Joe caught her by the arm.

"Just to be clear. You don't owe me anything and I don't feel sorry for you. We make our own fate." He wasn't sure how much he believed of the words he spoke. We had no choice of parents we were born to. Children had no choice and he knew enough to realize his past had made him the man he was good or bad. Did he really have a choice in who he'd become? Would he want to be anyone different?

"You don't say much but when you do." Alyse pulled away from him again, she headed to the bedroom and he let her go. He wasn't good with people or words, not like Elvis. Had anyone ever told him he was kind?

She was curled up into a tight ball on his bed. Joe wondered if she had curled up so tightly as a child she thought she might just disappear. He knew it didn't work.

"Alyse," he said. Her eyes remained tightly shut. "Alyse, look at me." She opened her eyes and stared into his, the pain and hopelessness was there again. "I want you here. I want to be with you."

"Like I said. You're a kind man who took in a stranger who needed help."

"This is more than that. You know it is." She wasn't a stranger somewhere inside he had always known her. Maybe that is why things that should have been difficult for him were so easy.

"Was this our first fight?' He asked.

"I think so."

"That wasn't so bad," Joe added.

"That's because I didn't throw anything at you."

"I've got good reflexes." He kissed her hand. "Why don't you put on those sweat pants and we'll go to the mall and then to shooting range."

"Drug store?"

"Kind of like shutting the barn door after the horse already got out."

"You really are a funny guy."

"So I've been told."

Pike called from the mall with Alyse. There were no sounds of gunfire or police choppers in the background so I figured he had it under control. He had to be in love. An hour later John called me back.

"Cole, don't have much to tell you except it seems a little off. There's a fair amount of blood but not enough to consider fatal. We should have the DNA results soon. There's a fed dogging us on this case. What's going on?

Not being sure how much to tell him in case he was confronted by the feds deniability is always a good thing.

"She pretty hot wouldn't mind getting me some of that. Rich, older woman to take care of me. A cougar."

"John, I'm losing you stay focused. Alyse is someone Pike knows." He was like a horny teenager. Sex on the brain twenty four seven. I tried to get my point across without saying too much.

"Pike and her. Oh, man please don't tell him I said that. I can see him getting a babe like that." I could almost see the beads of sweat running down Chen's face.

"Your secrets safe with me. I just need some info. How much blood are we talking about?"

"About the amount if Pike would hit me in the nose for talking about his woman. I'm a bleeder"

"John, my lips are sealed. So you're saying a bloody nose amount of blood." I wondered if she had popped him one and I smiled. That would be the type of woman Pike would go for. There's nothing worse than a man who bullies a woman. "So in your professional opinion it's a non fatal amount of blood and the person could have walked out of the house on their own."

"Yeah, minor stab or head wound. They bleed a lot. We've got no weapon from the scene. I'm checking blood on her clothes but I bet we find her blood there too. I'm going to try to get to the house this afternoon the feds keep stalling. I should know more then. I'll call you then. Sure hope this works out for her and Pike." So did I. Time to look into Tom Winters!

Winter's was a nobody who made his wife's family money disappear the same way he had. All his bills were up to date. No credit in his name, a big house and a garage

full of toys all cash transactions. Maybe that's where all of her money went. Something

didn't seem right. There was no trace of him anywhere it was like he didn't exist until ten

years ago when he married Alyse.


	8. Chapter 8

Joe stared at the ceiling unable to sleep. Starkey had done some more digging, Winters was a ghost with no past. He hadn't shared this new information with Alyse yet. Maybe because he wasn't sure what he was going to do to Tom Winters when he found him. Alyse tossed and turned as she dreamt troubled dreams. Joe wondered if we ever really knew the person who was sleeping beside us. Maybe sometimes it was better not to know too much. She mewled like a baby and he rolled over and pulled her close. It brought a contented sigh from her.

Joe woke up after dawn in bed alone. He smelled coffee, content with the fact Alyse was roaming around his kitchen.

Alyse was sipping on a cup of coffee, hazelnut with vanilla creamer when Joe walked out wearing his running shorts. "Sorry I hope I didn't wake you up. I couldn't sleep."

"I think your husband is still alive."

Alyse turned and stared he want sure if the look was annoyed or angry or relieved. She was hard to read, constantly masking her true feelings. Hiding pain behind the humor. "There you go again just blurting things out. Wow." Alyse sat down at the table. "I trust you Joe and you have to trust me." She paused and took a deep breath. "So instead of proving I didn't kill him I just have to prove he's alive." She put her head in her hands and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you last night."

"You don't owe me an apology. They say love means never having to say you're sorry. I'm not sure if I buy into that completely."

Joe would like to have believed someone could know you and your intentions so well that an apology was never needed. It dawned on him she'd used the word love.

"Do you love me Alyse?"

Alyse walked to the fridge and poured more creamer in her cup avoiding Joe and his question. "The sooner we prove the ass is alive the sooner you get your life and your solitude back."

Joe walked over and took the cup from her hand. "Do you love me, Alyse?" Alyse looked into his eyes. "Yes, Joe I guess I do. I think from the time we first met. When I was arrested and thought I'd never see you again I was very sad. Like some white knight you showed up at the jail and rescued me. I don't quite understand it."

Joe shrugged. "Maybe it's one of those things we aren't supposed to understand."

"Like, where our missing socks go," Alyse said trying to break the tension. Joe put his arms around her. "My socks don't go missing."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Alyse."

Alyse stood on her toes and kissed him. All Joe could think about was wanting her but he took a step back. He had something he needed to say. "I love you, too."

' I know." she said smiling. "You really are a lot of work, but so worth the effort."

"I'll try harder."

"No." she shook her head. "I love you just the way you are."


	9. Chapter 9

"Don't yell at me this is your fault." Agent Frank Foley screamed into his cell phone. "If you'd kept an eye on him this wouldn't be happening. You're just damn lucky you got there before he killed her. Why did you let them think he was dead?"

"It was a good idea to keep her out of our hair for a while." Agent Parker shot back.

"Well a lot of good it did. Now she's out on bail shacked up with this psycho guy Joe Pike. He's poking around not to mention the cops and the media. You just get over here. I've got the info on Pike. I'll see what he's up too. The Marshall's said they'd be here by morning and they are pissed." Agent Foley hung up the phone and tried to think of ways out of this mess. How this idiot ever passed a test to be an agent was beyond him and he was stuck with him as a partner.

Tom Winters over heard his fed watchdog talking about Alyse. If they hadn't stopped him she'd be dead now and his problems solved. There was a fat insurance policy and he was the beneficiary. All her snooping had brought the feds down on him and exposed him to the people he'd been hiding from. The stipend he was given wasn't enough to keep him happy and he's blown through most of her money except for what he'd stashed away. He didn't plan on being relocated again to some hole in the wall town. He'd gotten used to the money and all the luxuries it could buy. His broken nose still throbbed and he had two black eyes. She was going to pay for this.

Tom opened the door. " I think there's something wrong. My chest hurts. Do you have an antacid or something."

"Effing great," Foley muttered under his breath. That was a stupid question he ate them like candy. Agent Foley dug through his jacket and headed into the bedroom with the bottle.

The fed never saw it coming when he walked into the room. Winters picked up the lamp and hit him. Foley's head made a terrible crack and he fell to the ground. Tom was going to take care of his wife and Joe Pike then chalk it all up to a hit on him. He took the feds vest and keys from his pocket he found Pike's address. The fed was lying in a puddle of blood dead. Soon Pike and Alyse would be, too.

Winters pulled up to Pike's complex it was neat and well maintained but hardly what she was used to. Desperation did strange things to people. He had cleaned out all her money when she filed for divorce. She left the house with the clothes on her back and her car which the cops still had impounded. When no one answered the door he started banging. "Alyse, it's me honey we need to talk. I know you're in there."

Alyse frantically dialed Joe on his cell phone.

Joe saw his number on caller ID.

"Alyse, what's wrong?"

"Joe, it's Tom he's at the door trying to get in. What do I do, Joe?"

"In the nightstand remember there's a book with two small guns in it. Take them off safety like I showed you. Shoot whoever comes through the door. I'll stay on the line."

Joe was talking as we ran to his Jeep. I barely got in before he punched the gas. I struggled to pull the door closed as we sped around the corner. Joe put the phone on his shoulder and grabbed the back of my jeans or I would have been splattered all over the road. I was breathing hard by the time I got the door closed. I put my seat belt on and said my prayers. Pike weaved in and out of traffic. I heard Alyse scream and the alarm go off at his condo.

"Stay calm and pull the trigger like I showed you."

There were gun shots and screams and then silence.

"Alyse, Alyse," he yelled. The cool veneer that was Pike cracked and I saw the desperate, panicked man inside and it hurt.

"She can't talk anymore. I'm going to kill you and its going to hurt. You know where."

Pike closed the phone and whispered. "Not if I kill you first."

We were going in the wrong direction. Pike slammed on the brakes and did a one-eighty in front of a semi. All I could think was we're going to die. When the Jeep stopped no light could be seen between the Jeep and the semi. The driver yelled something out of his window I couldn't make out and probably didn't want to hear. I started breathing again and we rocketed away when Pike punched the gas.

"You're not going to be able to help her if we die in a traffic accident."

"Goddamn feds," I could barely hear him above the roar of the engine.

I opened my phone to call Starkey.

"Who are you calling," Pike asked me.

"Starkey."

"No, if she's not dead yet they'll get her killed. It's between me and him."

I wouldn't want to be in Tom Winters shoes right now for all the money in the world.

Tom carried unconscious Alyse out and pulled away minutes before the police arrived. Tom drove by the house checking for signs of Pike or the cops but it all seemed clear. Tom looked around suspiciously as he punched the code into the garage door key pad. He laid her on the couch and paced around nervously waiting for Pike to show up.

Alyse pretended to be unconscious, slowly working the gun from her pocket. Tom didn't realize there was a second gun. She remember what Joe told her in these situations always take a head shot. The thought of killing Tom was distasteful but she had to stop him from hurting Joe. She had the gun out and tried to steady her shaking hand. This was so much harder than the paper target she had shot earlier. This was her husband.

Tom caught her movements out of the corner of his eye. He turned and fired at the same time. Alyse slumped back onto the couch the bullet ripped into her chest. Tom fell to the floor.

Pike launched himself from the car before it had fully stopped. He was on the front step before I got my door open. I punched Starkey's number on speed dial as I ran for the house. She was on her way and so was an ambulance. I followed Joe inside and what I saw made me physically ill. Tom Winters was laying on the floor blood covered his head and Joe was kneeling next to the couch holding Alyse. His glasses were off and his gun on the floor next to him. Very un Pike like, very dangerous.

"Joe, the ambulance is on it's way." He looked into my eyes and I saw the rage and pain there. He shook his head. I kept my distance not wanting to intrude on their final moments.

Blood stained the front of her shirt. Joe dropped his gun and took off his glasses. He wanted her to see him, see how much he loved her. Joe had seen the look of death before many times including on Elvis. He pulled off his shirt. Alyse gasped when he pressed down on her wound, blood oozed between his fingers. If it had hit an artery in would be a matter of minutes.

"I'm sorry. I have to keep pressure on it," He whispered, brushing the hair from her face. "Marry me, Alyse. I love you." She was shaking from shock, from the blood loss so he pulled her close. He didn't want the last thing she felt to be pain she'd had a lifetime of it. Skin that was warm and alive was growing cold to the touch he knew it wouldn't be long. Sirens wailed in the distance.

"Yes." She sighed and he felt her body go limp. She was gone. He kissed her one last time.


	10. Chapter 10

I watched his body shake and I knew he was crying. The body on the floor moved, its hand stretched out to find the gun.

"Joe," I yelled bringing my gun up at the same time but I wasn't fast enough. Joe sprung like an uncoiled snake in an instant he was standing over him. He emptied his gun into Tom Winters, not even the vest was no match for Joe's .357 Python at close range. He kept pulling the trigger even though the gun was empty. I walked over and touched his shoulder. "Joe, it's over he's dead."

Joe put his glasses back on and stood over Alyse. I wanted to see the woman who had stolen Pike's heart. A treasure he kept under lock and key. She was beautiful but not Hollywood beautiful, not plastic and perfect. That wasn't something Joe Pike looked for in a woman she had to be beautiful on the inside, above reproach. I only wished I could have known her. What hurt Joe hurt me, too

The paramedics burst through the door but I told them it was too late. They checked Winters for vitals but were afraid to approach Pike, rage radiated from him like heat off the asphalt on a California summer day. Starkey stumbled in behind the rest. Pike bumped into her on his way out.

"Hey Pike," she said. She looked at me and I shook my head. She saw the bodies in the room.

"Oh," was all she said. I'd explain later but I wasn't up to it now.

Pike's Jeep was blocked in by the other vehicles. He plowed through the hedges across the lawn and down the curb. He was so angry all I could do was hope the body count didn't get any higher. Thank God, he left before the feds showed up or it would have been a blood bath.

"Can I get a ride?" I asked Starkey. "Mine just left without me."

She looked outside at the front lawn and said. "Lucky you. I'm assuming self defense here." She motioned to the body of Winters.

"I saw it all. She was Pike's girlfriend," I said.

"The bastards lucky all Pike did was shoot him. Heads are going to roll on this one the feds fucked up big time. They had him in protective custody and he escaped. Killed a fed too. They shouldn't have played it this way."

It was just as we thought. Winters was a loser in Witsec who had rolled on his associates in a drug cartel years ago. The divorce and swindle had brought him out into the open. The fake murder was just a diversion until they got him relocated. Alyse never would have been prosecuted. By helping her, Pike got her killed; that was the irony of life. No good deed goes unpunished. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell Pike or if I was going to tell him. Pike didn't love often but when he did it was forever.

The story hit the papers the next day so whether or not to tell him was out of my hands. Over the next few days I called his cell phone, the condo and the gun shop, but no one had seen him since that day. My last message I told him the cat missed him and wanted him to call. Finally, at the end of the week I got up before sunrise and drove to the pier where they had met. He was standing like a statue. I think the only thing holding him up was the railing. I know he was surprised to see me even though you'd never know it.

I said. "World's Greatest." and shrugged. Maybe today I was the world's greatest friend, too. I don't know. I had a brought a six pack of beer. Beer wasn't the usual for breakfast but this wasn't a usual situation either. I uncapped a beer and handed it too him. He drank it down without stopping. Knowing Pike he had been standing there for the last four days. No food, no water punishing himself for her death.

"She's dead because of me."

"You couldn't have known it would go down this way. You can't blame yourself."

"I was going to marry her." His voice was hollow like he was empty inside.

There was a hint of pain in Pike's voice I had never heard before. I felt like someone gut punched me and I couldn't breathe. I didn't know how to respond to that. In all the years I'd known him he never mentioned marriage. Maybe that's how true love was. It wasn't planned it just sneaks up on you. One day you realize you found the one.

"Does the cat really miss me?" He said as though trying to find some measure of comfort in being needed by my straggly, old cat.

"He's a mess," I said. "I wanted you to know I went to the funeral."

"Thanks, I know."

I'm sure he was there somewhere. A public place wasn't where he'd want to share his private pain. He had arranged the for the plot and service since she had no family. The coffin was draped in white roses with a single red rose in the middle.

"I don't want to remember her that way."

I understood what he meant. I was feeling sorry for myself and said. "I miss Lucy." After, I felt small and regretted my words. At least she was alive and there was still hope for us.

Joe looked at me and said. "I know."

I could maybe see Pike married, but kids? Although, he was great with my ex-girlfriend Lucy's son Ben and the kid worshiped him.

"Kids?" I asked.

He nodded, yes. I'm sure stranger things have happened in this vast universe. I'm just sorry if it was what he wanted he didn't get it. I guess I've always pictured Pike as the terminal bachelor, the lone wolf preferring his solitude. Pike the soldier, the cop, the mercenary I just had never pictured Pike as the husband and father. But, I could see him as a father. Maybe it would have done him good to see he didn't have to be like his father. That he could have broken the cycle of violence. Maybe then he could have made peace with his past. Instead Joe and I stood on the pier together drinking beer and waiting. Sometimes it's the simple things in life like a sunrise that can give us what we need to face another day. I put my hand on his shoulder and said "Let's go home."

I drove him back where he could shower and change and get back to normal. I don't exactly know what normal is for Joe Pike but I do know he changed his jogging route and never went back to the pier.

I couldn't sleep so I stood on the deck in the early morning light. The canyon smelled rich and alive like new beginnings. A dark dot on the horizon grew closer. The hawk had returned alone. He circled aimlessly on the morning breeze. His shrill cries pierced the silence. Unlike the hawks most people don't mate for life or until death they do part. I wondered if there really was only one person, one soul mate for us in our lives. I also wondered if Joe and I had already lost ours…I hoped not.

Thanks to those who read this and thanks to Robert for creating such memorable and timeless characters.


End file.
